Needs
by PennyGirl
Summary: Everyone has needs, even Kel


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the POTS characters, or anything involving the land of Tortall, and am thus making no money off of this, so please, nobody sue me.

**Needs**

I'm a knight.

A warrior.

I have no need for friends, or pets, or family, or even many of the completely ordinary, everyday things that control every aspect of my life.

And I especially have no need for a lover.

Or a husband.

Or children.

Or a marriage.

Which, come to think of it, is part of having a husband.

I have no need for my friends, family, pets, or the other completely ordinary things that control every aspect of my life. And yet, I have them anyway.

If I lost any of these people my life would crumble, and I would not continue to be the type of knight that I have desired to be since I was a little girl. I would lose the great advice my friends give me. The blind, limitless love given to me by my family. And the great companionship given by the horses, dog, and birds that travel with me everywhere that I go.

But, I have no lover.

I have never had a lover.

Mainly because most of the time I feel I have no need for one.

I have my friends, and I am happy with them. I have my family, and my pets, and everything else in my life that I think is necessary to make it as satisfying as it currently is. A lover is not exactly something I feel the need for. Even though...well, even though I sometimes feel lonely, and wish for someone to make me feel like the woman I am. I have the respect and admiration of my peers. But...I do not hold any of their attractions.

I don't know why I should care about this. It shouldn't matter. It is not why I became a knight. But...sometimes there's just something you need. Something you desire to have. And at this moment in time, I desire to have someone to treat me like a woman and show me some affection and physical attention.

Maybe that's why I'm doing this, maybe that's why I'm in this man's room, and am letting him talk me into being with him tonight.

He kisses me and I sigh. And he reaches for my shirt, and I let him. And than, in the distance, I hear jump bark, and the laughs of soldiers as they play with him.

Than I come to my senses. And as the man reaches for the belt on my breeches, I grab his hand ant tell him he needs to stop, I don't want to do this anymore. Not with him.

He frowns at me and makes a comment. And in reply I simply reach for my shirt and pull it on as I walk for the door.

The man gets angry and grabs me, surprising me and pulling me towards the bed. I push him away from me and he replies by slapping me.

Than, for some odd reason, I lose my temper, and throw him out the window.

There are curses and yells down below as I walk out of the room and slam the door behind me.

* * *

A few hours later, Raoul knocks on my door. 

"So, uh, you want to explain yourself" he asks.

"No" I say, sharpening the blade on my sword as he speaks.

"So you had no reason whatsoever to throw that man out of his bedroom window"

"I did" I reply, running the stone down the blade and feeling a slight satisfaction from the hiss of the stone on the metal.

"Are you going to tell me what it is"

"No" I say again.

Raoul shrugs. "Alright, I trust you." He turns away and says"He broke an arm, by the way."

"Good" I say, checking the sharpness of the blade"He deserves it."

Raoul laughs and walks away, giving a greeting to Dom as he walks towards my door.

"Hey Kel" he says, leaning on the door frame.

"Hello, Dom"

"So, uh, I hear you threw Yasgough out of a window."

"Yes I did."

Dom grins. "Excellent! He had it coming" Dom says, walking in the room and sitting next to me on my bed as I slide my sword back into its sheath.

Dom watches me as I put my sword away and smiles at me as it turn to him. I smile back and sit at my desk to seal a letter that I wrote a few days ago.

"So..." Dom starts.

"So...what" I ask, lighting a candle to melt the sealing wax with.

Dom sighs and runs a hand though his hair. After a few moments he says. "I'm going to be blunt, alright"

"Alright" I say, holding the wax over the candle and watching it heat up. I feel his gaze on my back and shift uncomfortably in my seat as he takes a deep breath before saying what he wanted to say.

"Why were you in his room" Dom asks. "Why were you doing what he claims you were doing"

I simply take a deep breath and press the melted wax to the paper as I contemplate his question. Than, as I press my seal into the green dyed wax, I ask him"Why do you visit Lady Vanessa every time you return to court"

Dom frowns. "What does that have to do with anything"

I laugh shortly and place the letter with three others I'd written that needed to be sent to friends and family. "It has everything to do with this" I exclaim, standing up and facing him, letting my frustration and emotion about today's situation come forth. "Why do you visit Lady Vanessa every time you go to court? Why does Raoul visit Buri every chance he gets? Why did Neal sneak into Yuki's room when they were visiting her parents in the islands before their marriage? Why does Lerant run off with that kitchen maid after every meal"

Dom glares at me and replies"You know why."

"No" I say, crossing my arms and glaring back at him"I don't. Enlighten me. Because, in case you've failed to notice Dom, I haven't involved myself with a man in certain ways for quite a few years now."

Dom glares. "That's why you did what you did today? Because you haven't had sex in five years"

I snort. "Because I haven't had sex _ever_. And a person has needs, Dom! I don't know if Cleon failed to bring this up while bragging to you guys, but we never got close enough to do that. I haven't had a man want to _touch_ me for_ five years_! I've gotten tired of the stupid rumors people tell about my virtue being thrown around right in front of my face with nothing to prove them. So, I figured, hey, I've got time today, Yasgough's giving me a flirting look, why not give people something to talk about that actually happened"

"You're a virgin" Dom asked incredulously.

I glare at him with raised eyebrows. He shakes his head as if to rid it of his question and asks"So why'd you throw hi out of a window"

I sigh and collapse into my tall backed chair. I hold my face in my hands and breathe deep. Than I take tem away and stare at the floor as I speak. "I changed my mind. Halfway before starting, I realized I didn't want to do it anymore, didn't want him to be my first, and started to walk away."

"And tan" Dom asked.

"Than I threw him out the window."

The floorboards creaked and I saw the tips of Dom's boots as he stood in front of me. Than I saw his face as he crouched down and lifted my chin so I could look at him. He smiled at me softly and said"Cleon never bragged anything to anyone, Kel. I just assumed."

"You assumed wrong" I snap coldly.

Dom sighed and pulled his fingers away from my chin. Than he looks at me apologetically and says"I realize that. I'm sorry."

I smile at him and place a hand on his shoulder; I now realize that, in our current position, Dom is forced to look up at me from his crouch on the floor. I smile half-heartedly and say calmly"It's alright. Lots of people assume the wrong things about me. It happens all the time."

"Well, it shouldn't" Dom says, reaching up and gripping my hand in his. He traces the scars on my fingers and asks"Why did you pick Yasgough" he asks after a few moments. "There are plenty of men who'd gladly do what he was willing to do. Men who'd treat you right, and wouldn't tell anybody. Yasgough's a braggart, he would've told everyone in the fort by dawn."

"I know" I say, letting him continue to trace my scars. I think about what I'd just said as Dom frowns and rethink my words "I mean, I know he's a braggart. I knew he would've told people. But I wet to his room anyway."

"Why" Dom asks calmly, turning my hand over to trace the lines on my palm.

I sigh, in sadness and over Dom's hand tracing, and say, almost sadly"Because no one wants me. And he did."

Dom looks up at me quickly and stares I into my eyes with his blue as he says"Did you not hear what I said a few moments ago about there being plenty of men willing to do what he was going to do"

"Well, I don't believe you" I reply bluntly, pulling my hand from his grasp and standing up quickly. "I think you're lying to make me feel better. And it's not working." I stride over to my weapons and grab my glaive. "I'm going to go practice" I say, striding quickly for the door. This is no longer a conversation I want to be having with Dom.

Dom snorts angrily, stands, and grabs my arm in a firm grip as I walk pass my bed. I turn quickly to face him and angrily snap"What"

Dom stares at me for a moment in confusion and says, quietly"I'm not lying to you, Kel. There are plenty of men who want you, you know."

I snort my disbelief and angrily pull my arm free. "Liar."

Dom glares. "I'm telling the truth, Kel."

I grip my glaive in both hands and stare t Dom coldly as I say"Name three."

"Merric"

"He's betrothed," I interrupt.

Dom glares and says"Doesn't mean he doesn't want you."

"Fine, whatever. Anybody else" I ask.

"Owen."

"Please" I exclaim, rolling my eyes. "He doesn't want me. It's just puppy love. I would've expected him to get over it by now."

Dom sighs in frustration and says"Lerant."

"Lerant hates me" I exclaim.

"No he doesn't," Dom says. I give him a disbelieving look and he shrugs. "Alright, maybe just a little. But he's gotten over it in the past couple years. He's really grown to like you."

I roll my eyes and start to walk away to my still open door. Dom growls and lunges for my arm. Grasping it firmly in his grip, he turns me around shoves me against the wall, I push away from it in surprise and he shove me back. Than he takes my glaive throws it on my bed and, to my complete and utter surprise, furiously begins to give me the most satisfying kiss I've ever had.

I'm shocked at first and than reciprocate with as much physical emotion as I feel him giving me. My arms around his neck and his around my waist. And still, after all my years of growing tall, I have to go on tip toes to kiss him. Than, suddenly, he breaks away and says, breathlessly, with a wild look in his blue eyes"I want you, Kel. I have for a long time, now. Not just for sex. But for more. Count me as one of those plenty I was talking about."

I look into his eyes and see that he's telling the truth. He does want me. He does care about me. But just to try and make him angry, I reply, almost jokingly"Liar. I don't believe you."

Dom, ignoring my tone, (I never could make very good jokes) says calmly and seriously"I mean what I'm saying, Kel."

I smile in a way that I hope is flirtatious and lean forward so close I can smell the soap from Dom's morning shave, and I wrap my arms tighter around his neck. "Prove it."

Dom grins and leans in close, his arms pulling my hips to his, and slides one of his hands up the front of my shirt. I grin as his lips press against mine and slowly back towards the doorway. Dom doesn't let me go and I laugh as he gives up on kissing my lips and goes for my neck instead.

I gasp when his hand grips sensitive flash and say"Dom, you have to wait."

"No" he says breathlessly, his other hand reaching up the back of my shirt to try and keep me close and making me shiver at the same time. Which may be part of the reason I'm not stopping him like I should.

"No, I'm serious, wait a minute, I have to-oh"

Dom had pushed me back against the wall and was kissing the skin revealed from the open neck of my shirt. I close my eyes in ecstasy and groan softly in my throat. Dom smiles into my neck and pulls my shirt up halfway, while at the same time kneeling down to kiss the flat of my stomach.

I laugh and break out of my heated blindness to try again. I had never known Dom would have this type of effect on me. "Dom, I'm serious, you need to stop."

"Why?" he asks into my belly, his lips tickling my navel as he fiddles with the buckle of my belt.

I bite my lip as he brushes kisses to an area lower than my navel and say breathlessly as I fight a groan"Wait"

Dom growls and stands up abruptly, finally willing to listen to me. "What?" he asks breathlessly.

I take a step and reach over with my long arm and slam the door shut. "The door was open. You forgot to close it."

Dom smiles and I grab his collar and pull him to me.

"Now, where were we" I ask him, noticing how my voice has suddenly become a little thicker and deeper within the past few minutes.

Dom grinned widely and leaned in close for a kiss at the same time I did.

And I let him do with me whatever he wanted, as I did with him whatever it was that I wanted.

And, unlike with Yasgough, I didn't throw Dom out the window.

Because, right now, and ever since I've met him, Dom is exactly what I need.

A/N/ Hope you liked it. Kind of has a romance novel feel to it, huh? Obviously I've been reading a lot of them. And, yes, I know people would rather read Daughter's pride right now, but sometimes you just have to write what your brain tells you to write. And mine told me to write this. Please review! I'd really appreciate it!

-Pennygirl.


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